Not eating meat isn't all that difficult; even forgoing dairy has become pretty darn easy after all these years. BUT, the one place that seems to be so difficult for me and many others is at the coffee shops. You know what I'm talking about. Soy milk lattes just aren't very good, let's face it. And most coffee shops use commercial processed almond or soy milks. Even at home the alternative coffee creamers don't compare to the creaminess of half and half.

Lucky for me there is a place in town that makes the most amazing dairy-free and organic lattes. They make their own almond and macadamia nut milks from scratch. Yes, you read that right. And the latte art is extremely impressive. There is this one drink I crave on the daily and it's called the Turkish Latte. They call it this not because of the coffee itself but because of the key spice they add: cardamom.

And the second secret to this latte is the type of cardamom they use. Inner seeds only ground cardamom! This gives the cardamom a very special flavor. It does help that their coffee/espresso is top notch (something you can't really mimic at home) but for the most part after a few tries I think I nailed the homemade version of this delicious latte.

And I hope that this Hazelnut Milk Cardamom Latte recipe will make you happy again about your morning coffee, despite there being zero dairy.

Hazelnut milk can be made at home but it might not froth as well as this brand. If you haven't already heard about Elmhurst (they did not pay me to write this or send me free product, this is my own opinion) plant-based milks, you should read their story. They used to be one of the largest dairy manufacturers on the East Coast, supplying a metropolitan area of seven million people. Recently Elmhurst has made a major shift to lead the plant-based revolution. Now simply called Elmhurst, its minimally processed nutmilks are just as nutritious and pure as its famous conventional milk, with none of the emulsifiers, thickeners or stabilizers used in other leading brands.

Hazelnut Milk Cardamom Latte Recipe

Yields 1 latte

Ingredients

Directions

Make your espresso or strong coffee either way you prefer. I use the pour over coffee method with finely ground coffee beans. This gives the coffee a super black color and strong flavor. Or you can use your espresso pod machine or whatnot, to yield 2 shots of espresso.

Meanwhile, pour the hazelnut milk into the milk frother. There are many options for frothing milk. I prefer this one (click here). But you can use this one (click method) or this method (click here). Forth milk following the directions of the machine you choose.

Add sweetener and cardamom to the hot coffee or espresso. Stir with a spoon.

Lastly, pour the frothy foamy milk into the hot coffee. And voila. You have a perfect hazelnut milk latte. You can stir if you'd like to get the flavors well mixed.